


At Your Service

by xladysaya



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: M/M, but sarumi is mixed in here, its the only pairing, this fic is s4 centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 13:42:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8210657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xladysaya/pseuds/xladysaya
Summary: The captain had been specific, almost too much so. The hotel was to remain closed while he was away on a business trip to see about expanding the company. Therefore, the conversation Saruhiko was currently entertaining from his co-workers was as much pointless as it was dangerous.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Yay I can finally post this lol.  
> I wrote this bc I wanted more S4 boys tbh and plus the AU was funny to me, it was supposed to be this fun little thing but ended up becoming 12k so XD  
> I hope you guys enjoy!

They’d been given strict instructions.

_"No guests until I return."_

The captain had been specific, almost too much so. The hotel was to remain closed while he was away on a business trip to see about expanding the company. Therefore, the conversation Saruhiko was currently entertaining from his co-workers was as much pointless as it was dangerous.

Yet of course, it was still happening.

“What?”

The hotel was empty, the workers passing through the empty lobby occasionally as they checked on things, and he was huddled in a corner with Hidaka, Domyoji, and Enomoto. He couldn’t help but ask about their scheme again, more out of annoyance than any desire to understand, and he was promptly shushed by the other three boys around him.

“We’re  _saying_ ,” Hidaka replied, looking around in paranoia as some members of the janitorial staff walked down the hall towards the ballroom. “We should open the hotel while the captain is away!”

And what an idea it was.

A fucking ridiculous piece of shit idea.

First off, he would be taking no part in it, if, by some miracle, they managed to pull it off. He'd learned, through awkward and unforgettable experiences, that it wasn't wise to try and keep things from Munakata. He was a symbol of authority, and while he was friendly, there was a reason he was given the nickname ‘the captain.’

“Do you enjoy being unemployed?” Saruhiko hated to lecture people, it required effort and communication, and honestly, it was Seri's job.

In reality, Saruhiko didn’t much care if they disobeyed the rules while the boss was away, but more guests at the hotel meant more work, more clean up, more annoying middle-aged people swarming around his concierge desk with their stupidly simple questions. And even if he wasn't on duty, he called the hotel home, and he couldn't exactly leave if shit hit the fan.

And as long as he was there, guests would surely ask him the same old, exasperating questions.

_Why isn’t the internet working?_

They didn’t pay for internet.

 

_The water pressure in the shower is awful!_

He wasn't a fucking plumber.

_Are these drinks free?_

Does the fact that there’s a price menu...insinuate that they’re free?

Out of the question. He could barely resist the urge to quit on a daily basis, when he  _had_ to be working, and now Hidaka, Enomoto, and Domyoji wanted him to willingly open the damn place for business.

Easy for them to say. They actually didn’t mind customer service completely. He didn’t know how larger hotels managed it, more people sounded like a nightmare. Not to mention, all the janitorial and other extra staff members would be leaving soon for their week off, leaving only the executives behind.

Overall, it wasn't an attractive idea.

Their hotel was medium sized. About seventy rooms, and each room was decent in space, only ten on each floor. The staff was ample enough to accommodate, with about ten executive members filling the main management positions.

Still, they couldn't possibly manage  _everything._

“Come on Fushimi, it’s the perfect opportunity to prove we can look after this place ourselves!”

He looked at Domyoji as if he'd lost his fucking mind.

_Oh, is that it?_

Bullshit.

“Oh absolutely,” Saruhiko replied in mock compliance. “I’m sure it has nothing to do with summer vacation starting this week.” He punctuated his sentence with a glare, watching with pleasure as it was Hidaka's turn to fumble for an explanation.

Yes, summer vacation.

Normally, Munakata would reject closing the hotel on such a busy opening weekend. A lot of college students vacationed in the area, and once summer came around, the rooms filled up fast. It was tedious, and the students tended to be rowdy and messy, but they brought in a lot of money.

However, the business meeting was deemed more important, and Munakata had said their numbers were strong enough to where they could afford to miss out on the first week of the summer crowd.

“Oh, come on!” Domyoji said before Hidaka could spout anything unconvincing. “He’s just trying to meet some girls! No harm there right?”

“Depends what you mean,” Saruhiko said with an amused huff. “The last time Hidaka tried talking to a girl, we all were cleaning up the dining room for hours.”

He saw them all wince, the memory running through their heads before they could even attempt to curb the instinct.

Okay, so maybe that was still a sore spot, but he didn’t care at the moment.

“I mean hey, Fushimi, this could be good for you too,” Domyoji strolled up to him, arm curling around Saruhiko’s stiff shoulders in what was meant to be a consoling gesture.

It wasn’t.

“I’m sure there will be just as many guys as—”

“Eat a dick,” Saruhiko seethed, shrugging the other away and walking back over to his concierge desk.

“Well, technically that’s your thing—”

“ _Hidaka_.” Saruhiko promptly silenced the other before he could finish, not that it wasn’t totally clear what he was going to say.

Domyoji lacked a point as usual. Saruhiko didn’t need a boyfriend, and even if he was aching for one, he wouldn’t go to such ridiculous lengths for the slim chance he’d actually meet someone. But if this was the path Domyoji was going down, he'd crush those hopes as well.

“You realize we’ll probably be too busy to actually do any effective socializing right?”

At the statement, he saw Hidaka and Domyoji’s mouths freeze mid-thought. Exactly. Saruhiko rolled his eyes, nodding politely as a maid finished her shift and walked past them, eyeing them suspiciously.

Meanwhile, the idiots were still fumbling for reasons. Really, they should’ve known better.

“Well…”

Uh oh.

They all looked in the direction of the timid voice, the one which had been silent the whole time. Enomoto was rarely outspoken, but when he was, Saruhiko hardly felt like arguing with him...

Enomoto flinched at all the attention before stuttering out the rest of his point. “We’re required to take half an hour breaks every so often…we’d socialize then…and the captain does always encourage being friendly with guests.”

Saruhiko could've laughed, but even that was too much work given his disbelief. Munakata encouraged a lot of things.

And Saruhiko doubted the kind of 'friendly' the boys had in mind was what Munakata meant.

He wanted nothing more than for this conversation to be over, and Enomoto had added nothing useful to it.

"That's hardly—"

But naturally, Hidaka and Domyoji were lit up again, high fiving like they’d stolen the crown jewels or some crap. Aggravating.

The noise wouldn't die down between the two of them, and Saruhiko began to question why they had insisted he be quiet in the first place. Most of the other employees were exiting...

And then Saruhiko was glaring at the group again, his gaze laced with more suspicion.

“Tell me,” Saruhiko said finally, addressing Enomoto, who shrank back a fraction. “You’re not a fan of crowds, so what’s your angle?”

He saw the other freeze up, back straight and eyes averted.

“N-no angle!"

Saruhiko squinted. If he got paid for every ounce of bullshit he'd heard that afternoon, he wouldn't have to be working this job. "There's no way you don't have an angle, but I doubt it's the same one these idiots have."

"Damn..." Hidaka's mutter did nothing to draw Saruhiko's attention from the fidgeting Enomoto, who now looked a bit paler as he stared at the floor, hands curling together as he avoided Saruhiko's gaze.

"See...I might have some people...in town for the week—"

"Aw man, you’re bringing your nerd friends here? You didn’t tell us that,” Domyoji muttered.

“They’re not nerds!”

“Whatever, as long as you’re in, I don’t care who you invite,” Hidaka interrupted, hands gesturing for the two to lower their voices. Not like it mattered, Saruhiko was pretty sure they were the only ones left on the main floor.

"You shouldn't be inviting  _anyone_." It wasn't like Saruhiko was exactly going to enforce anything, and while he acknowledged that by letting his happen it would come back to bite him in the ass later...

It was a lot of work to convince his co-workers most of the time.

"C'mon! It won't be that bad," Hidaka tried to reason, leaning against Domyoji. "We can totally handle it."

"Yeah!" Enomoto perked up, brushing off his previous embarrassment. "And it's only for the weekend! We can clean up before the captain gets back!"

Saruhiko didn't even feel like pointing out how much work it would be to clean their hotel with only ten people, and he was torn between just snitching on them to Seri or straight up calling Munakata to save his own ass.

But the captain was under enough stress...and really, what was Seri going to do? Something told Saruhiko his co-workers were set on this, and there was no stopping them until things got to the point of no return.

It would be satisfying almost, to sit back and see them crash and burn, except for the fact if  _they_ went down, so would he.

Essentially, he was screwed, and there was nothing he could even do about it. Saruhiko's shoulders slumped, and he timidly turned on his laptop, watching it fire up as he leaned in surrender against his desk.

The guys seemed to take that as their 'go for it,' and promptly cheered into the silent lobby. As if their plan was now in motion, as if Saruhiko had been the last piece of the puzzle, and they ran off down the hall with useless thanks and excitement.

Saruhiko could care less.

But as an afterthought, he looked back in their direction as they ran down the hall. “And you better hope Awashima doesn’t kill you!” Saruhiko called after them, scowling as his computer screen finally came to life. As if the universe was fucking with him, the computer opened to their reservations page. It told him there were no current guests. _Huh, not for long…_

“Ah, Awashima-san? Psh, she’ll be cool with it,” Domyoji said before disappearing from view, clear hesitance laced in his voice, like even he didn’t believe what he was saying.

_That’s the exact opposite of what she’ll be._

Domyoji smiled though, waving as he finally turned to run off with the rest of them, going to start their master plot of getting them all fired. "Don't worry Fushimi, everything will go just fine!"

\--

Things had most certainly not gone ‘just fine,’ but back to that later.

Currently Saruhiko was walking, fairly briskly too, through the halls on the second floor, passing various scenes of chaos and indecency as he walked by the open rooms. He’d stopped caring about all of it an hour ago, concerning what their guests were doing.

Out of nowhere a bottle of alcohol came flying down the hall, and he dodged it lazily, like it happened every day and it was part of the daily routine. The bottle shattering behind him was hardly noticeable amongst all the other migraine inducing noises.

He vaguely heard a scream somewhere, a splash from the pool outside, and he couldn’t help but think this would be any serial killer’s dream, a hotel full of drunk university students and unsuspecting staff.

What he wouldn’t give to be the first victim.

The hall was a mess, and he was constantly maneuvering around messy sheets left out lazily for the housekeeping staff, who wouldn’t even be showing up since the hotel wasn’t supposed to be fucking open.

In short, it was a shit show, and this was just the hallway on one floor.

Saruhiko didn’t give a single shit, his only concern was avoiding—

“Saruhiko! If you don’t turn around right now—“

Damn.

He could tell Seri was pissed too, she seldom used his first name in the presence of others, but oh well, what did he expect?

He groaned, turning around like a child caught doing something wrong, and he stretched out each syllable of his words obnoxiously. “Whaaat?”

She looked a mess, not any less attractive by any means but…her eyes literally spoke murder, and there was an obvious strain in her stance. Her hair was sticking up like she’d been pulling at it, and she was missing the camisole she’d been wearing earlier, and Seri _never_ misplaced her clothes.

It seemed no one had escaped the madness.

She looked at him expectantly, eyes comically wide and arms flailing, begging for some sort of explanation as she stomped towards him angrily.

“How could you let this happen?!”

As if the universe was providing an unneeded example, they heard a loud bass drop, probably coming from the outside speakers in the pool area…

Something told Saruhiko that Domyoji was involved.

“Me?” Saruhiko’s own eyes went wide, and he mockingly put a hand to his chest, looking properly offended before his face returned to a flat stare. “You really think this is my fault?”

Turns out, the three boys behind this whole incident had been more prepared than Saruhiko had originally thought. They'd gone out just a few hours after Saruhiko's conversation with them, handing out flyers and spreading the words that yes, the hotel was open.

Seri had been conveniently napping, and Saruhiko was almost positive they had planned that too, taking advantage of her organized routine. At first, things had been like a normal business day, with people entering the hotel in an orderly manner, checking in and receiving room keys until the hotel was booked. Fine. Annoying, but fine.

Problem was, the influx of people to the hotel hadn't stopped after that, and they'd quickly lost control.

Saruhiko didn't even know where the three had gone, he'd lost sight of them in the confusion. He'd been forced to abandon his post at the reception desk, instead walking around to avoid rowdy students and to survey the damage. Not a smart idea on his part. The place was in shambles, and all his sensible coworkers had run off to hide in other areas of the hotel...

Seri inhaled shakily, bringing her trembling hands up to smooth over the front of her floral pattern dress before she clapped them together. “Where. Are. They?”

“The fuck if I know,” Saruhiko replied, pulling Seri to the side of the hall protectively as a group of students ran by with haste. “Last I saw Domyoji, he was carrying glow sticks towards the pool, Hidaka was making an ass of himself in front of some girls, and Fuse refuses to leave the kitchen.”

As he went on he saw Seri’s strained smile twitch uncomfortably, eventually falling into an expression of pure panic he wasn’t used to seeing.

“Everyone else…no clue,” Saruhiko finished, eyeing her warily.

If he had a paper bag, he’d most definitely be handing it to her at the moment.

She shook her head, as if trying to collect her thoughts and decide on the first course of action.

Out of everyone, she was probably the most worried about the captain's return, although Saruhiko assumed she was in denial, and believed they could repair everything.

“We have to find them. We need to have a staff meeting _now_!” Seri grabbed the sleeve of his coat as she said this, spinning on her heel and dragging him with unparalleled strength.

She was wasting her time in his mind, but he allowed himself to be dragged, worried if he didn't, she'd surely lose it. Basically, the hotel had filled up to max capacity because of his coworker's brilliant plan, and as one would expect with a hardly supervised hotel full of college students, everything was completing falling apart by the second.

The lobby was now more of a dance club, complete with the obnoxiously loud music and flashing lights as guests socialized and flirted in the open. Saruhiko had seen...some questionable things in the last two hours. And one…not so unpleasant thing.

There had been a shorter boy lounging around the lobby, and Saruhiko had only seen him briefly, but it had been nice to see an attractive guy who wasn’t being a drunk idiot.

He hadn’t exactly had time to get a closer look, as he’d been trying to hide from Seri. That had worked. And along the way he’d been forced to see more of the tragedy which had befallen his workplace.

Each floor was a mess, miscellaneous laundry littering the floor, and Saruhiko had to wonder where people's concepts of politeness and decency went.

To think he of all people was wondering that.

Stains, booze, screams, it all added to the collective chaos.

Seri dragged him into the elevator, ignoring the students drinking alcohol in the rooms as they passed. Saruhiko didn't have to guess where the booze had come from, and he figured they wouldn't be getting reimbursed for it.

The elevator was almost like another dimension with how quiet it was, the muffled sounds of drunken partying barely making it through the thick doors as they reached the lobby. Before it opened, Saruhiko looked to her, and her eyes were cold, calculating. Not unfamiliar, but still surprising enough for him to smirk at his coworker's impending plight. "What's the plan?"

He saw her breath, as if she was about to enter battle, and he was reminded that she used to be the hotel's security before she moved up the ladder. "Get Fuse, we'll need the help. Maybe he knows where the others are. I'm going to find Goto and Benzai, they're hiding in the maid's quarters. We need to find Akiyama and Kamo as well."

 _That's right_ , Saruhiko thought, _where are they?_ Kamo sometimes was busy if his son was over, but no, he wasn't staying at the hotel that week. And Akiyama...

It wasn't like the two of them to be absent, they were usually at the forefront of most disasters, if they ever occurred. Especially Akiyama...

Saruhiko wasn't worried per se, but...

"And...the idiots?"

Seri eyed him, unamused. "The  _perpetrators_ of this disaster, will be dealt with by  _me_. We'll look for them when we can assemble everyone else in the kitchen for the meeting."

Ah, yes.

The kitchen had been mostly cleared of any food, and it had nothing desirable for the rowdy students, so it was most likely the only empty place in the hotel besides the employees' locked rooms.

Saruhiko nodded, heading off in the kitchen's direction as Seri disappeared into the crowded lobby to the opposite elevators.

Saruhiko hoped for once, Fuse would be willing to cooperate with him.

\--

"I'm not leaving this room," Fuse said with displeasure, continuing to sip at his water from the comfort of the counter. "It's a mess out there."

Saruhiko actually agreed, but...

"Yes, and we are all in huge trouble," he began, bringing a hand up to tiredly push his bangs back as he tried to reason with the other. "But Awashima is about to explode, and it's better to fix things as much as possible...at least in her mind," Saruhiko supplied, rolling his eyes. There was no way they were going to fix anything enough for the captain to not be suspicious. They'd need a miracle, and he didn't believe in those at all.

Still, when he was fired he’d have to move out of the place, and he didn't want it to be a complete wreck.

He and Seri just had to get everyone else on board to attempt the impossible feat...

Fuse's expression seemed to soften at the mention of Seri, and he seemed to contemplate to himself as a loud blast of music could be heard from outside. Saruhiko clicked his tongue.

_Domyoji..._

Saruhiko glanced out the kitchen window, which he knew to be off the side of the pool, watching as water splashed against it and bright lights shone into the dim space.

He hadn't been outside yet, and he could only imagine what that idiot had managed to do in two hours.

"You knew didn't you?" Fuse's voice was accusatory, critical, and it shattered Saruhiko's thoughts. "You knew, and you let it happen."

Well, he couldn't exactly deny that, and Fuse probably wasn't his biggest fan at the moment (as if he ever was). Still, as much as Saruhiko insisted he didn't care, he was going to quite the effort to rally everyone together in some useless effort to hide everything from Munakata, the man who eventually found out about  _everything_.

Honestly, when did he get like this?

"Yes, blame me all you want," Saruhiko said, voice getting quiet, and Fuse's eyebrows raised a bit in surprise. "It was...a mistake, and now we're waist deep in shit, and nothing we do will probably fix this. But..."

_But what?_

"The captain will be back Monday morning," was all Saruhiko could think of to finish his poor explanation. He wasn't much for admitting when he wanted to attempt fixing things for someone else's sake, it was aggravating and didn't sit well with his stomach.

Still...he did his best he supposed.

Fuse just stared at him for a few, agonizing seconds, as if analyzing his sincerity. Saruhiko probably wasn't helping his own case, staring flatly back, irritation clear in his expression. Music from the pool area sounded louder now, invading the space as Fuse let out a suffering sigh.

"What do we do?"

Finally.

"Where are Akiyama and Kamo? We're all gonna group together here apparently."

At the question, he saw Fuse tense up, then look off to the side. "Akiyama...is incapacitated."

Saruhiko blinked.

_No..._

Surely, Fuse wasn't suggested that Akiyama had actually participated in the fucked up festivities and gotten drunk.

"Wait no," Fuse said, holding up his hands at seeing Saruhiko's expression. "Not in the way you think. The stress got to him, he's frozen."

Silence. It was as if the whole world had stopped. Even the music outside didn't phase Saruhiko as he stared off into the void of his painful existence. "...frozen?"

"Frozen. He hasn't moved or spoken since this whole thing started. He's sitting in the third floor lounge area, Kamo has been trying to snap him out of it, but it hasn't worked yet."

Saruhiko was about to leave town and never return.

"Is this a joke?"

"I don't joke."

He nearly had to steady himself against the counter.

\--

Saruhiko told Fuse to wait in the kitchen along with Goto and Benzai when Seri came with them in tow, saying he and the blonde would handle rounding up the others. It was better they not get scattered again. The three, obviously stress stricken, didn't fight them on this.

Seri seemed just as disbelieving as Saruhiko about the Akiyama situation, but said if that were true, they'd handle it last.

Now, they were standing at the top of the lobby's stairs, just before the waiting area, looking out as if approaching a mine field. Well, it basically was. Seri's eye twitched as she scanned the room, gaze intent and menacing. Saruhiko was sure the only reason half the room wasn't already frozen was due to the strobe lights and music.

Saruhiko sighed, eyeing a nearby bottle of wine longingly. "Well," he said, turning to the blonde. "After you."

She didn't seem to appreciate him in that moment.

"Enomoto should be the easiest to find, no?" Seri's voice was barely audible over the noise. Still, Saruhiko could've laughed.

"The easiest to convince maybe, not find." Honestly he hadn't seen Enomoto the entire night, and it was a toss-up as to where in the hotel he might be, but...

"Domyoji on the other hand," Saruhiko began, looking towards the hall which eventually took guests to the pool and outdoor lounge area.

Domyouji was the only one whose location was confirmed, if his various shouts and obnoxious noises coming from the pool were any indication.

Seri glared, squaring her shoulders as she began to stride briskly down the hall, never stumbling once in her high heels while she pushed past drunk students and misplaced furniture.

In fact, Saruhiko was sure people in her line of sight backed off considerably.

Finally they managed to reach the back door, pushing it open and being hit by an almost overwhelming cacophony of shouts and music.

The air outside was crisp, a bit chilly, but it didn't usually matter given the large heated pool and spa. They had one of the most luxurious pools in the area, an expense Munakata had apparently insisted on during construction, going on about how 'people would not be able to resist staying here because of it.'

Saruhiko loved that it was the captain's words which were now biting him in the ass, as if that was a damn surprise.

He was surprised the pool even still contained enough water, given how much was being splashed out of it wildly, the cement around it soaked and slippery with the chlorinated liquid. People were using the diving board recklessly, and it creaked under the strain of too many people. Other guests were diving, jumping in, and bringing their drinks into the water, none of which were of course permitted in the area. The large waterfall and boulders installed along with the pool to give it a more tropical feel, were littered with drunk students, used towels, and forgotten bottles.

The water was strangely glowing, and it took Saruhiko a few moments to properly see the overabundance of glow sticks which had been thrown at the bottom, illuminating the pool in pinks, greens, and golds.

Saruhiko was impressed he could really focus on any of the obnoxious scenery around him, as the speakers, which usually played annoyingly soothing jazz music, blared out electronic dance music at max volume.

But no...he had to keep his head clear, he was looking for someone in particular after all...

And then he fucking found him.

Domyoji was standing at the top of the waterfall, microphone in hand and wearing what Saruhiko considered to be the stupidest outfit in the universe. It didn't even match first off, neon yellow swim trunks and a sleeveless hoodie two sizes too big, along with bright blue sunglasses. At night.

There were bags at his feet, and Saruhiko soon realized they held more glow sticks, which Domyoji continued to throw into the pool. He was controlling the music from his phone, exciting the crowd to even more extreme levels as the sounds blared and people cheered him on.

Saruhiko knew the ginger probably hadn't noticed them yet, but regardless, Saruhiko sent him the most displeased glare he could manage.

Cleaning this would be impossible.

_Is that...vomit?_

Domyoji was dead.

It was just a matter of figuring out how to kill him.

Seri, by some miracle, hadn't noticed Domyoji yet, face still frozen in shock from the state of the area around them. But oh, when she finally did manage to come to and find the ginger, Saruhiko saw all sympathy and worry flood from her eyes, only leaving rage and death behind in their wake. She stiffened, and Saruhiko nearly felt like pulling up a chair.

Sadly though, all of this was also his problem for whatever reason.

At least, unlike Saruhiko, Seri was attempting to remain stoic and serious through all of it, her air of professionalism never leaving her. Saruhiko wondered how long it would last. Seri smoothed out the front of her dress and pulled some stray strands of hair out of her face, setting her eyes forward.

"Remember Saruhiko, we have to be professional about this," Seri said, her voice barely hiding her agitation and shakiness. Her breathing was a bit off too... "We have to control o-our anger, a-and—"

"Heyyyyy!" Domyoji's voice rang through the speakers, and everyone shouted back at him, the sound deafening. "If you hear me say ‘hell yeah’!"

"Hell yeah!" The crowd's response shook the area, even drowning out the music, and Saruhiko hissed from the noise as it vibrated throughout the space. There was no way anyone within a good five block radius didn't hear that.

"Never mind, he's done for," Seri's solemn voice came shortly after the first shout died down, and Saruhiko didn't even bother to look at her. It wasn't even slightly amusing anymore. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he followed her intimidating form, and Seri managed to dodge every obstacle.

Or well...

More like she pushed every obstacle out of her way.

Some students in front of her chose to dive rather than receive the same punishment as the many pool floats and bottles which were being deflated, kicked, and crushed under her shoes.

Meanwhile, the damn idiot being targeted was oblivious, going on with his annoying cheers and tossing more shit into the water, doing what Saruhiko assumed was his attempt at dancing.

Saruhiko almost felt bad, watching someone being so unaware of their imminent demise.

Almost. As in, not at all.

"Glad to see everyone having a good time at the  _luxurious_  Scepter4 Hotel," Domyoji said into the mic, leaning forward and tilting his shades down. "And remember girls, I'm a big deal around here, so if you ever wa- _ngh_!"

Seri pulled Domyoji by the ear so hard, Saruhiko was about ready to go through his insurance benefits for 'work related incidents,' just out of common procedure.

"Fu—! Owowowow, super ow!" Domyoji winced and cussed all of this into the microphone before promptly dropping it in shock when he finally met Seri's gaze, and he paled instantly, as if he'd forgotten she had existed up until that point.

Judging from how he'd just basically paraded about how much seniority he had at the hotel, he probably had.

The crowd laughed at his distress, going on with their partying as Domyoji was stolen from the shallow spotlight, Seri dragging him down from the rocks efficiently.

"A-Awashima....how...so...do u like the l-lights?"

Ah Domyoji, so terrible at changing the subject.

Seri was unamused to say the least, and her grip must've tightened, because Domyoji winced again, his exclamation of 'shit' echoing across the area as more guests laughed.

Seri made a loud, frustrated noise to herself, glaring at the ginger with barely controlled ferocity. "Domyoji, you're lucky I need your assistance or so help me..."

Domyoji didn't seem to be hearing any of it however, his face fixed in a pout as he turned to some attractive girls sitting in the spa, all of whom were giggling at the display, Domyoji looking like nothing more than a scolded child. "Awashimmaaaa you're ruining my good first impression."

Saruhiko sighed, Domyoji never was good at focusing on the bigger problem right away, luckily once they got him on the right track, things would be fine.

Should be.

"You should be grateful we haven't hurt you yet," Saruhiko said, and he lazily turned back in the direction of the hotel, waiting for the familiar clack of heels to follow. "Now come on, the hotel is a giant mess and if I'm being forced to clean, then so are you."

"No! Nonono come on! Just one more hour!" Domyoji's pleas were useless judging from how much louder the heel clicks became as Seri ushered him forward. "I'll clean after, I swear! Wait!"

Domyoji was pulled back into the hotel, laughter and his shattered dreams of getting laid lingering behind him. 

\--

Benzai and Fuse assisted with holding Domyoji in his seat when they returned to the kitchen. One down.

"Traitors!" Domyoji said, with little anger behind it as he gave up the thrashing, squirming uselessly in his chair.

Gotou approached him a moment later, looking confused as he held up a roll of duct tape. "...Do we still need this?"

"YOU WERE GONNA DUCT TAPE ME—"

"And we're still considering it," Saruhiko cut him off sharply. "So shut up."

Domyoji glared, but gave in, and Gotou looked a bit disappointed he wouldn't be getting to use his new patterned tape, but otherwise, it was fine.

Not fine exactly, but fine in the one short moment. They were still missing a few members after all...

"Where are your bumbling accomplices?"

Domyoji looked dramatically offended, but he shook his head no less. "I'm not super sure about Hidaka, but he's probably in the club—I mean the ballroom. Enomoto too!"

_Ballroom?_

The ballroom was an extravagant meeting area, usually reserved for wedding receptions and business reservations, among other events. It was huge, and Saruhiko couldn't believe he'd forgotten about it.

"What did you do to it?" Seri's shaky voice told Saruhiko she'd forgotten as well, and with how the rest of the hotel looked, knowing the ballroom was also a wreck didn't mean good news for them.

Domyoji seemed to know he'd fucked up by letting the information slip too, because he was sweating a bit, glancing at his two handlers for assistance. Benzai only shook his head, as if debating why life had brought him such pain.

"Domyoji..." Fuse actually seemed nervous behind his glare.

"I-it's nothing! We just turned it into a little dance area, girls love it and—"

"Keep him here," Seri's authoritative voice was harsh, and not to be challenged. "Saruhiko and I will bring back Enomoto and Hidaka. Fuse, get Akiyama and Kamo."

"Yes, ma'am."

Saruhiko didn't like the idea of braving the sea of drunks and party goers again, but the blonde wasn't giving him a choice as she walked towards the kitchen doors. He hated feeling regretful, but at that particular moment, he wished he had just sold the three idiots out long ago. Now things were reaching the point of no return.

"Let's go Saruhiko!"

Yes, life certainly did hate him.

\--

The horror which was the ballroom was even worse than the pool.

Jackets, shoes, and sadly some pants, were strewn across the floor, and there were more than a few alcohol stains on the plush white carpet.

The staircase was littered with personal items and seated couples, those of which weren't on the dance floor, and were simply flirting and making a mess of the area.

The flashing lights were more intense than the ones in the lobby, and the speakers in the ballroom were more expensive, allowing for a more club like atmosphere to be created. And it was, the newly made 'dance floor' was packed, and he and Seri were bumped into several times when entering the space. Business or not, Saruhiko pushed back irritably. The blonde moved her eyes around, overwhelmed, searching for any sign of Enomoto or Hidaka.

"How are we gonna—"

Saruhiko put an arm on Seri's shoulder, cutting her off. He looked up to the balcony area, up the stairs, where some tables were set up, and they both had the same thought.

It was rare that Enomoto would be dancing and flirting openly, it wasn't his style, but Saruhiko could vaguely make out a few seated groups, even with the blinding lights.

"Right," they both said, and he let her clear a path, since she'd been doing so well with it so far.

Enomoto was seated among what Saruhiko guessed to be the 'nerd friends' from earlier, looking intense and concentrated as he held a die. He seemed to be playing some sort of game…

"I call out to him while pulling out my short bow," Enomoto said, though his voice was a bit hesitant, but hey, what the fuck did Saruhiko know?

Before they could approach him, a petite, energetic girl leaned over Enomoto's shoulder, smiling at him brightly. "Are you sure? It seems sorta risky no, Tatsuya-kun?"

Enomoto lit up red, brushing some hair out of his face as he stuttered, and Saruhiko and Seri were about reaching their limit on surprises for the night. Enomoto seemed nervous, but his smile was genuine as he responded to her, laughing a bit.

It didn't take a genius to read the situation, but Saruhiko wasn't particularly pleased that Enomoto was hitting it off with some girl, given he was partly responsible for their mess.

Although, better than Hidaka and Domyoji. They could suffer.

Seri almost looked hesitant to pull him away, a fond smile threatening to break through her cold expression, and Saruhiko coughed, snapping her out of it.

"Right, he can talk to her some other time if she's special," Seri mused, as if Saruhiko cared.

Hidaka wasn't much harder to find, considering Enomoto had no qualms about totally selling him out after sadly being pulled away from his game and his crush. The idiot was underneath the staircase, chatting up a few girls who did not seem very interested in the conversation, and they seemed quite relieved when he was dragged away. 

"Come on guys! I almost got their numbers!"

"You'd be lucky if they gave you one digit, much less all of them," Seri replied, pulling him by the elbow as Enomoto timidly followed, but he did perk up momentarily...

"Oh! Speaking of numbers Hidaka," Enomoto voiced shyly. "There's this really nice girl who gave me hers—"

"EVEN YOU? DAMNIT!"

\--

They were finally all together, and it was even worse than how he'd imagined it. But at least everyone was shooting displeased stares at the three instigators, all of whom looked properly fearful for their lives. 

It wasn't all okay though.

Fuse had brought Kamo and Akiyama in shortly after Seri and Saruhiko had returned, and it was as he'd described. Akiyama was frozen. Apparently they'd been found on one of the third floor sitting areas, just before the elevator. Kamo was trying to snap Akiyama out of it, talking to him, encouraging him, bringing him snacks. Nothing seemed to be working. The man in question had taken some effort to coax down into the kitchen, being led cautiously by Fuse and Kamo, the chaos around them not helping his fragile state.

Now they had him parked in a chair, and Saruhiko debated slapping him out of it. Kamo had apparently already tried it.

Seri was, to say the least, pissed. This coupled with his own gloomy aura probably didn't make them the most approachable pair at that moment, and Domyoji wouldn't even look their way.

"This... _meeting_ , is now in session," Seri huffed. No one spoke. "Fine. I'll start! This is unacceptable,  _boys."_ Her statement was directed at the culprits, all of whom shrunk back instantly. Everyone else took it as their cue to jump in.

"How could you let this happen?"

"Ask Fushimi!"

"Don't act like this is my problem all of a sudden," Saruhiko shot back at Hidaka, who pouted. Wow, he felt so bad.

"It is in a way, you didn't say anything," Fuse muttered.

"I'm a concierge, not a babysitter."

"The crowd really is too wild!"

"Benzai is right, they tried to get into my room!"

"....Gotou what are you worried about? No one's gonna wanna steal your stuff."

" _Well_..."

"Not to mention how many things have been broken," Seri supplied, and her glare never faltered, even as Hidaka came forward, arms up in surrender. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Hidaka twiddled his thumbs, then smiled cautiously as all eyes were on him. "Okay but, is it really that bad?"

"That bad??!" A chorus answered him.

"Hidaka," Saruhiko cut him off, truly disbelieving at this point. "Look at Akiyama. You broke him. He won't even move."

Wincing, everyone looked to the man in question, as if hopeful that would get a response. Nothing. Akiyama was panicked out of his mind. He was lost to them.

"We...really should do something about that," Fuse mused, bringing a glass of water to his co-worker's side, as if hoping he'd at least snap out of it to try calming down.

"I assure you," Kamo began, and he looked to Akiyama with concern. "I tried everything."

It didn't exactly shock Saruhiko that Akiyama had gotten overwhelmed, he tended to do so in overly stressful situations, but...seeing the usual pillar of sturdiness that was Akiyama be so immobile was a little daunting even for him.

And he hadn't cared about much that night.

In fact, with how things were going, he was considering giving up and grabbing that wine bottle from earlier, assuming it hadn't already been drained by the crowd.

It was going to be one in the morning. It was now technically Saturday, and the captain returned Monday. They hadn't begun cleaning, and there were only the ten of them.

Saruhiko clicked his tongue, and suddenly the attention was on him. Even more annoying. "Honestly, why did we think we could do this? It's a waste of time..."

"Of course you'd have such an attitude," Fuse muttered, and Hidaka made an uncomfortable noise, aware of the potential tension growing.

"Hey guys, it's not totally..."

"Did you plan on picking up this place completely then?" Saruhiko shot back, voice raising. "You have no resources!"

"It... _is_ rather absurd to think we can do this ourselves," Enomoto's shy voice piped up from the side, and he avoided all eyes as he slunk back against the counter.

"You guys are being so negative about this—"

"This is your fault technically Domyoji, please be aware," Kamo scolded.

"I am  _okay_ , I just don't see—"

"Of course not, you wanted to keep partying," Seri cut off. Saruhiko glared at her from the side. He usually agreed with her, but knowing Seri and her optimism about the situation, he knew a lecture was soon to come....

"Would people quit cutting me o—!"

"Perhaps I can find something which will help," Gotou spoke up, stepping into the middle of the circle they had formed.

Too much arguing....useless. Saruhiko had better things to do. Like pack his stuff because he was so fired.

"What? You gonna pull a whole maid service out of your room?" Hidaka snorted, which didn't go over very well with Gotou, because soon after they were in a bickering match, and then everyone was throwing out their opinion, regardless of if anyone was actually listening.

"The captain would tell us not to give up if he were—"

"Seri, enough about the captain." Saruhiko groaned, not even bothering to stay professional as he addressed her familiarly. Munakata was no help to them now, not like Saruhiko would've paid attention to one of his standard pep talks anyways, and he definitely didn't need one from the blonde. "He isn't here to see this mess, and when he does—"

"Perhaps if we were all to run away in a timely fashion..."

"That's hardly appropriate Benzai, be reasonable," Kamo sighed above the noise. Soon though, he was back to arguing with Domyoji, and Benzai managed to jump in on the discussion, but he was more talking to himself, as if in a trance of his own thoughts as the voices in the kitchen grew louder.

Saruhiko was getting a headache, and Seri yelling in his ear next to him while Hidaka attempted to soothe her wasn't helping, and  _fuck Fuse, I do not care so quit telling me to be mature._

No one was exactly being mature at this stage anyhow.

"I'm just sayin—"

"Honestly, could you be anymore—"

"The captain—"

"We should take the train—"

"Um."

"It won't work!"

"This is all—"

"Okay but—"

**"Stop!"**

The room seemed to jolt as the new voice joined the cacophony, well, not joined, more like...tore through. Everyone immediately shut up, even Saruhiko (to his reluctance), just from the shock. Seri made a choked noise, and everyone else looked around stupidly, as if the origin of the sound wasn't sitting in the same place as before.

Akiyama's hands were fisted in his pants, and his breathing was harsh and uneven. He looked...angry, notably too. It wasn't an expression any of them were used to seeing on the usually calm face. At least it was better than the dead look from before...

The room was still, and a pot from the counter fell over from how Hidaka stumbled against it, echoing into the silence. They all stared at the now revived man, waiting.

But of course, it couldn't last forever when it came to them.

"Um—"

"Akiyama—"

"No!" Akiyama's voice silenced them again, and everyone stiffened except Saruhiko, who only quirked in eyebrow in curiosity. "Stop! Just stop! I mean...fuck!"

A few jaws dropped, and Saruhiko's other brow came up to join the first, his expression torn between being stunned and impressed.

Seri was biting her lip, silently looking around the room to confirm that yes, not only she had heard it.

Kamo nodded at her, the only one not still frozen, and he made a move to step towards Akiyama, as if to make the first attempt at getting a word in, when he was beaten to the punch.

"Oh my god," Domyoji's voice rang through the air, unnecessarily loud. "You said fuck!"

"Akiyama said a bad word, holy crap!" Hidaka voice joined him, more fascinated than amused.

_Really?_

Saruhiko rolled his eyes as Seri finally exhaled beside him, and soon the room was a bit less tense, although no one really knew where to go from there.

So naturally, only Hidaka and Domyoji were speaking, saying nothing useful other than stating the obvious, which was yes, Akiyama had cussed.

Akiyama began to look properly scandalized at this, and he shot right out of his seat, stuttering out an apology. "I, please ignore that! It was unprofessional an—stop laughing!"

They didn't.

Meanwhile everyone managed to crack a small smile, even Seri, though she put her hands on her hips in agitation from the sudden wind down. "Honestly..." Seri's voice got their attention, and they waited for a plan or lecture. "Akiyama, you're never going to live this down so help me."

Hidaka began to fucking lose it.

"A-Awashima please..."

"Yes I mean, where is the respect?"

"Benzai...you too..."

"I'm shocked he only said it once," Fuse muttered. "Given our situation that is."

Everyone froze yet again.

Right. Their situation. Their impossible, straight out of a nightmare situation.

Why had Saruhiko chosen to work in the customer service industry?

"Um...please tell me you've all made some progress while I've been...incapacitated," Akiyama said, clearing his throat and finally correcting his posture.

No one answered him.

"You mean..." Akiyama's smile twitched, the strain evident. "Everything is still—"

"Everything is still a total wreck!" Hidaka slumped to the floor, overwhelmed again. Saruhiko couldn't feel bad for him or Domyoji though, considering it had all been their doing in the first place. Enomoto as well but...he looked like he was about to have a breakdown, so there was no use calling him out.

"There's no way," Saruhiko said, for what felt like the thousandth time that night.

Fuse glared at him, ready to argue back, but for once it was Seri who cut him off.

She seemed deflated, in a way Saruhiko wasn't used to. He hadn't seen her look so dead in a long time, and while he understood, it was a bit off-putting.

"Maybe you're right Saruhiko," she whispered, and now Saruhiko was sure this was all a dream. Some of the others shared the sentiment it seemed, and tried to jump in to correct her, give her whatever vestiges of hope remained in them.

"Awashima—"

"No! Have you seen this place?" Seri never slouched, but she was doing so against the counter now. "Each floor is a mess! There are sheets and alcohol bottles and glass everywhere! The bathrooms are putrid! The pool looks like a tornado hit it, as well as the lobby! Even if we managed to clean it all, we still have to find a way to get rid of the guests and check them out."

Saruhiko pulled out a chair for her, and she dropped into it, her expression disappointed. "There is no point I suppose….I will have to accept the consequences from the captain, and—"

"H-hey," Hidaka broke in, approaching her, looking guilty for the first time that night. "No...you won't take responsibility for anything! This was—"

"Completely our fault!"

"Yes please! Don't blame yourself!"

Enomoto's and Domyoji’s voices sprang up, and they circled around her, apologizing profusely.

_About time..._

It was only fair, he supposed. Seri always tried to shoulder the blame, seeing it as the right thing to do, as well as protecting her fellow workers and the business itself. Fortunately, they all knew this, and made sure she couldn't get away with it often.

Seri smiled as everyone came to offer her reassurance and apology, regardless of if it was their fault, and Saruhiko stood beside her, nodding once to her in agreement.

She was grateful, but it didn't change the fact they'd all essentially given up, and sooner or later, they'd face the music.

Seri took a deep breath, standing slowly. "Try to pick up what you can, but for the most part, attend to guests, answer questions. Stay safe, stay sharp. We are still a business after all."

It was a solemn end to their efforts, and most of them nodded gravely, all except Akiyama, who simply looked to his feet, trying to find some alternative.

But in the end there was nothing.

"Meeting adjourned."

\--

After breaking up, Saruhiko had for once done what he was told, too tired to really do much else. He sat behind his concierge desk in the lobby, now so used to his headache he couldn't feel it as the music and dancing around him went on. Sometimes, guests would come ask him dumb questions, the usual. Luckily, he wasn’t getting many annoying ones other than ‘where’s the alcohol?’ He figured it was because the crowd was young, and far too buzzed on the relief which came with a break from school.

He had nowhere to hide either. He could go to his room, but the sounds from the rooms on either side weren't very inviting. Plus, Seri had insisted they try to be helpful, as if Saruhiko was the model employee. But yes, he'd had no choice but to return to his concierge desk in the lobby, watching with dead eyes as people made a mess of the hotel.

The noise was irritating, and after so much trouble throughout the night, all the faces seemed to blend together, until everything was a blur and the tedious conversations became a stream of indistinguishable words and noises.

Still he scanned the room, searching for anything interesting to focus on.

And then he saw him, the guy from earlier. It was hard not to. It wasn’t like he stood out in the crowd, in fact he was on the shorter side, but at once Saruhiko’s mind fixed on him and no one else. It was a strange response, and he began to wonder if he was getting sick from all the chaos. His throat felt dry, and the world seemed to slow, the party lights and the music becoming distorted as the redhead in his line of sight became clearer, more pronounced and impossibly hypnotizing.

Saruhiko was sure if he wasn’t behind the desk he’d have already been walking forward. 

_What?_

Saruhiko shook his head. No, he hadn't meant that. He wasn't a brainless idiot. Still, he couldn't stop staring.

The redhead looked a bit more roughed up, bloody nose, ruffled clothes, bruised fists and all. He wore a leather jacket, a tad over-sized, but not unflattering, and his shorts didn't really match. It didn't seem to bother the redhead in the slightest, nor did it take away from his image. He seemed rather pleased with himself, grinning a thousand watt smile and laughing a bit too loudly with some friends who were seated on the lobby couches.

The friend had a girl on his lap, sitting on the furnished couch as he exchanged a smirk with the redhead. Although, the shorter didn't exactly look comfortable with the girl nearby. Saruhiko squinted, cogs in his head starting to turn.

_Wait..._

Saruhiko had done the reservation for the other boy himself at the beginning of the night, before chaos had broke out. Saruhiko discreetly glanced to the guest books to find the names on the reservation, annoyed with himself for even being curious.

Chitose Yo, Dewa Masaomi, Yata Misaki. 

The one currently entertaining a crowd of girls was Chitose, Saruhiko had checked his ID and everything. Still, that only narrowed down his choices a little.

_Hm..._

It wasn't much later that Chitose stood up on a nearby table, surveying the room in confusion. He cupped his hands, and proceeded to shout, and even Saruhiko could hear. "Dewa! Where you at?"

Soon, a mildly pissed off looking young man with a hat approached him, making a 'shush' gesture.

_And if that's Dewa, then that's—_

The redhead laughed again, most likely at his friend's antics, before he pointed towards the concierge desk, as if telling his friends he'd be back. And then he was walking right towards Saruhiko.

_Yata Misaki._

Saruhiko reflexively took a deep breath. It was as if he could only look ahead now, watching the redhead approach.

"Hey!" First off, Misaki was loud. His voice boomed over the music. "You know where I can get some water 'round here?"

Second, he kept a smirk on his face, even if his conversation was normal. Saruhiko quirked an eyebrow, disbelieving. "No booze for you?"

Misaki quirked his head, a bit sheepish, but then the smirk was back, like nothing could knock him down. Saruhiko felt...weird under the gaze. "Nah, it's hot as fuck in here, what kind of hotel is this? It's a fucking disaster!"

Saruhiko couldn't help but be annoyed at that, the memories of the chaos erupting coming back to him. "It was normal, before those idiots messed it up," he replied, fishing under his desk for some of the water bottles Munakata made him keep down there.

"H-huh?"

"Nothing," the taller deadpanned, setting the water down. "That all?"

The smirk fell, and the redhead was squinting at him, and Saruhiko somehow managed to continue looking into those eyes. It was hard to tell their color due to the lights, but Saruhiko could tell they usually shone, all the redhead's emotions passing through them.

The openness and intensity of the stare was a bit daunting, but he couldn't look away.

"Why are you in a pissy mood?"

Saruhiko sighed. Here it goes. "Well if you haven't noticed, the hotel is swamped with college kids like yourself, making a mess and destroying everything."

"Hey! I didn't destroy anything," Misaki fought. "And neither did my friends, we checked in right ‘n shit."

Well, that was at least true. A good majority of people there had simply crashed the party, neglecting to run it by the staff. Not like he was going to admit it though. "Congrats. You want a medal?"

Something told him it was the wrong thing to say...or the right, judging from how Misaki was smirking again, wider. "I think I deserve one, ‘ch, I did pummel a couple assholes outside earlier. They were tryin’ to steal shit and spray paint the front."

A fight huh? Made sense, given the other's appearance. Misaki even had a small cut on his cheek, and Saruhiko repressed the urge to reach out and touch his face. What was wrong with him? "Is that some sort of accomplishment?"

"I protected this place!" Misaki argued, and the smirk only faltered to be replaced with an embarrassed smile. "Which means I probably protected you too, y-your job I mean!"

Oh.

Was that a stutter?

Saruhiko didn't know what he was doing, but it was automatic. He leaned forward, body reaching over the desk until he was closer to Misaki, and he lowered his lashes a bit. He was just trying to make the other uncomfortable truly, at least that was what he told himself, but it didn't seem to be working. Plus he was a bit shocked with himself, he was way too close for his tastes…

Misaki's breathing halted a bit, but he didn't budge.

"Oh? Have you considered that I don't need your protection?" Saruhiko's voice was still the same bored tone, even he couldn't conceal it. He was intrigued though, after all, this was the most non-irritating thing that had happened all night. "You don't know me."

Misaki swallowed noticeably, and Saruhiko wouldn’t have been surprised if he was blushing. _Huh, not so cool now..._

"Well, you've been..." Misaki seemed lost while staring into Saruhiko's eyes, but the taller refused to believe it was due to any other reason besides the music and lights clouding his mind. "You've been walking around and shit, I've seen you."

_What does that matter?_

"So?"

"W-well..." Misaki shifted awkwardly. For once Saruhiko was confused, and backed away a small amount, eyeing the other. Did he mean he'd seen Saruhiko running around and felt bad for him? He didn't need or want the pity.

"I'll have you know it's my job to walk around, but great observa—"

"No jerk! I meant, ugh! Why is this shit so hard..." Misaki dug into his pockets, and Saruhiko watched the leather tighten around his arms as he pulled out a crumbled piece of paper. Misaki squinted at the smudged writing, and even from a distance, Saruhiko could tell the penmanship was awful. "Um...are you an interior designer? Because when you walked into—goddamnit I have no idea what the fuck this even says and—fucking Chitose!"

_Huh?_

Misaki sent a glare back in the direction of his friend, but the ladies’ man didn't seem to get the full effect, because all he did was shoot them a thumbs up. "Fucking asshole..."

Saruhiko had a weird feeling in his stomach, and he didn't know why, but he had his suspicions...

Stupid. But...

"What...are you doing?" Saruhiko was genuinely confused, and his tone was more full of wonder than annoyance.

Misaki made a strained noise, looking away with a forced laugh. "My stupid friend gave me these...well..."

Misaki hurriedly threw the paper down on the desk, and from what Saruhiko could read, the content was easy to decipher.

"Pick-up lines? Why?"

The feeling in his stomach intensified. _Ugh, cut it out._

They were all very bad pick-up lines, and he momentarily thought Misaki might be pranking him, but no, the redhead seemed too easy to read, and there definitely wasn't any malicious intent in his tone or eyes.

"Um...it's...not obvious?"

Misaki's voice was a bit smaller now, not as rough or overwhelming, but it still hit Saruhiko like a truck.

_Oh. What?_

There was a silence between them, well, sorta. The music was still deafening, and people constantly walked by, but as far as Saruhiko was concerned, it was just him and the redhead.

Misaki fidgeted, and Saruhiko only continued to glance between him and the paper. "Your friend....must either be terrible at flirting, or he hates you."

Misaki blinked, a bit stunned, but then he broke out slowly in laughter, rubbing the back of his neck. "Er...you're probably right."

Saruhiko felt his lip twitch upwards, which stunned even him, and Misaki leaned forward to cover the ground Saruhiko had backed away from, their faces closer as Misaki's smile nearly blinded him.

Alright, maybe the night hadn't been a complete waste...he guessed. "Yeah, you should give him a bad review later.”

The laugh was infectious, and Saruhiko joined in, his head feeling better out of the blue.

"Tell me about it, but I mean, they sorta worked." Misaki smirked a little, hesitantly, but Saruhiko didn't mind.

"We'll see."

\--

"So...wait. You're not even supposed to be open?"

Misaki was shocked, and he stared at Saruhiko with wide eyes as they sat on the roof of the pool deck, surveying the party below. It was quieter up there, but some of the noise still made it to their ears. "Nope, it was all my co-workers’ fault, and now we're all screwed."

"Fuck..."

Exactly.

They'd been talking for about an hour and a half, mostly about dumb things. Video games, movies, likes, and dislikes. Useless talk, the kind Saruhiko usually dreaded, but he didn't mind for once, and time had slipped by rather fast, much to his surprise. It would be daybreak soon, the sky was already lighter.

Still, the conversation had eventually wandered to topics about his life, his job, and his current situation, probably because he seemed tense and overworked. He'd tried to avoid the subject at first, but Misaki was annoyingly persistent.

"So...your boss comes back Monday and...you guys aren't even gonna try to hide stuff?"

"It's not possible, at this point it's better to accept that things are going nowhere," Saruhiko replied, leaning back on his arms. He'd been repeating this throughout the night, and it never stopped making him feel a bit off. "There's no hope, and who cares anyways?"

He somewhat expected Misaki to laugh, but the redhead only shot him a troubled look. It was...odd.

"I dunno though Fushimi," Misaki mused, looking out across the pool. "This place is your home right? You and your friends must be upset..."

Saruhiko squinted. Hardly. Sure, he ate, slept, and worked there, and it was nicely maintained and furnished. Not to mention how he was....forced to share the space and his time with his co-workers. It wasn't as if he enjoyed it, and he definitely didn't appreciate being taken in by his boss....and...accepted...and...

 _Ugh_.

"It's just a hotel." He'd opened up to Misaki a bit already, sure, but as if he was going to get deep about a dumb building which housed annoying tourists.

Misaki didn't seem convinced. "Sure, tell yourself that."

He was telling himself that, because it was true. What did he care? He was partly the reason the place had fallen apart, in a way...

It wasn't as if he was going to all of a sudden feel guilty though.

"Also, even if you wanna be a stubborn fuck about it," Misaki added. "At least do it for your friends. Or sorry, your  _co-workers_ or whatever. Won't they get in trouble?"

_Not my problem._

At least, it shouldn't have been. But then he remembered, somewhat against his will...

_"There is no point I suppose, I will have to accept the consequences from the captain and—"_

_Ugh._

"Why do you care so much? You don't know me that well."

Saruhiko couldn't deny the obvious attraction, and maybe even some annoying connection on top of it, but they'd only barely met.

Misaki didn't deflate, in fact, he seemed a bit smug despite the growing flush on his face. "Dude, I watched you run around this place all night. There's no way you don't give a shit. No worries, I won't tell anyone that you're not a total ass."

"Fuck off," Saruhiko muttered, not really meaning it. He sighed up into the night sky, weighing his options.

_"Fushimi-kun, I hired you because I have the utmost faith in your ability and intelligence, I trust you to work well with your companions."_

That bastard. Even when he wasn't there, he was throwing in his viewpoint.

Saruhiko bit his lip, and his thoughts became a bit too much even for him. Their hotel was a wreck, it would take a miracle, and yet...

_This place is your home right?_

Fine.

 _Fine_.

"Damnit all," Saruhiko cursed, taking out his PDA harshly. With any luck, Domyoji's battery wasn't dead.

"What are you doing?" Misaki leaned over Saruhiko's shoulder, voice notably happy and smug.

"Shut up."

He dialed the number. "Domyoji, no— _be quiet_. Meet me in the kitchen with whoever you can find. Unfortunately, I've been manipulated. Huh? I don't care. No! Just do it!"

Saruhiko shot up, and Misaki stayed behind, shooting Saruhiko one last fantastic grin as the taller turned to face him once more. "Good luck dumbass."

"You're one to talk." Still, Saruhiko returned the smile with a small one of his own. "Will you...be around later?"

"As if I would miss this!" Misaki laughed, and Saruhiko nodded, turning to run once more. It was annoying, but there was, as Seri might say, lots to do. "I'll be waiting for you later!"

Saruhiko strangely didn't doubt it.

\--

The only ones missing were Kamo and Seri, the first of whom, Domyoji informed him, had gone to bed.

Seri was apparently at the bar. Lucky.

Saruhiko pulled out their budget books, finding their documented emergency fund, much to his relief. They would have enough to hire a cleaning crew from a private company, and if the captain asked where the money had gone, they could simply blame it on a maintenance issue.

The group around him seemed a bit confused, but otherwise re-energized at the prospect of them actually fixing  _something_.

"There should be numbers for a cleaning service in Awashima's desk," Saruhiko informed, not wasting anytime. Yes, it was only Saturday morning, but they'd need all the time in the world for this. "We'll use the emergency savings account."

"But what about—"

He cut Benzai off with a shake of his head. "Don't care. We'll make something up." All the rest of the seven members made a hum of agreement.

"That'll work," Fuse muttered, but nonetheless, nodded along with Saruhiko's plan.

"I can call!"

_Good, if Gotou calls, we can get this place cleaned. But..._

Meanwhile someone would have to figure out how to get rid of everyone.

Saruhiko stiffened, slowly turning to the two main masterminds behind the original catastrophe. "You two..."

The boys tensed, fearful until Saruhiko gave a long, suffering sigh. "You have to get the guests checked out."

"What?! How are we supposed to do that?" Hidaka's expression was panicked, but Domyoji looked more relieved the punishment wasn't worse.

"Figure it out." Saruhiko didn't have time to hold their hands, he had to make sure they stayed on schedule. Ugh, that felt so wrong. "I don't care, just get everyone out!"

"Man..." Hidaka sighed, leaning against the counter while Domyoji tried to be supportive.

Tried.

"We can do it man, don't sweat—"

"This is what I get for listening to you huh? I can't believe I was so dumb."

“Wow. You know what? I hate you.” Judging from Domyoji's tone of voice, he was about as done as Saruhiko for once, but not nearly as serious. Too bad Hidaka had to have the last word.

“Yeah? Well....I hate you more!”

“No ME!”

“Me times infin—“

“Shut uppp,” Saruhiko groaned, jumping when another loud splash from outside was heard, and jeers from guests reached his ears.

It was time to fix this shit. Or whatever.

"Gotou, make the call," Saruhiko instructed, and Hidaka and Domyoji dispersed, running to the lobby to begin herding guests out. "I'll get Seri and wake up Kamo. Everyone else, start cleaning what you can upstairs!"

"Got it!"

"Yup!"

Saruhiko, for the first time that night, shrugged off his work coat. It would probably only get dirty from then on anyways.

He started jogging towards the main lobby soon after, hoping with everything that Hidaka and Domyoji could come up with a believable excuse for evacuation.

As he ran, he caught the sight of Misaki in the lobby, talking with Chitose and Dewa.

It wasn't like the look of encouragement he got was going to be of any actual help, but Saruhiko didn't find himself resenting it.

\--

"Um well..."

The lobby was packed.

"We need everyone to check out immediately! It's an emergency!" Domyoji's voice echoed through the room as he spoke into the intercom, allowing guests in all areas of the hotel to hear him. Munakata had actually splurged on something useful it seemed...

Saruhiko watched as the ginger and Hidaka spoke before the crowd, suddenly regretting ever giving them the task.

There was no way it would work.

Some idiot in the crowd had the nerve to shout back at them. "What for? Everything seems fine to me!" The statement caused a cheer to erupt through the crowd, and Domyoji was obviously drowning.

"See..."

"We just had a maintenance test!" Hidaka shouted, taking over impulsively, bullshit just flowing from his mouth. Saruhiko watched as the crowd waited. "Yeah and...th-the Bureau of Water Sanitation...and Cleanliness has prohibited us from allowing any future business while the water is cleaned. So, to ensure your safety..."

"We all need to evacuate immediately!" Domyoji's energy was a bit too much to be believable, but a worried murmur did manage to carry through the crowd. "Oh, but make sure you check out first, 'kay?"

\--

Saruhiko was beginning to wonder if somewhere in life, Munakata had made a deal with the devil, one which protected him and those around him from fucking up too bad, because for some unknown reason, Hidaka's crap excuse had worked.

The majority of guests, those who had checked in, were filing out throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon, the only ones left by the evening being stray party goers, and Misaki and his friends. The cleaning crew had also arrived, and were busy on all the floors, efficiently sprucing up the place to look like new. Gotou must've called the most expensive one, complete with more workers...

Meanwhile, Hidaka and Domyoji looked positively dead, with how fast and efficiently they'd managed to get everyone out, and Enomoto assisted, given he was also partly behind everything.

Seri oversaw the cleaning upstairs, along with discussing what they would tell the captain about the savings account being now mostly empty. Desperate times, as Hidaka would say.

As cleaning was going underway, Saruhiko approached Misaki and his small group. The redhead smiled at him, and it took all his self-control to not return it. "This is going to take more time than I'd like, you all should go."

It was Chitose who responded, much to Saruhiko's shock. "Now now, it's all good. We are kinda responsible for the mess, we can stick around and help for a few hours. Anything for Yata's new boyfrie—"

"Chitose!" Misaki blushed furiously, about ready to fight it seemed. Saruhiko tried not to smirk at the reaction.

Sadly, Kamo, now awake, was mopping a few feet away though. "Oh? You met someone Fushimi? What news!"

"If you tell anyone—"

"Oh look, there's Gotou, excuse me."

"Shit," Saruhiko muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. Now it was only a matter of...about ten minutes before everyone knew.

"Uh, and I'll add an hour, just for that," Chitose said, smiling apologetically. "Not to mention, your friend over there is uh..pretty easy on the eyes."

Chitose gestured to Seri, who was currently fixing a collection of vases that had fallen over.

"Er,'" Hidaka came up behind them, carrying a broom. "She won't be easy on the face though. Also Fushimi! Heard about your boyfriend, it's about time!"

Saruhiko wanted nothing more than to die, but there were still a few floors left to inspect for stains and debris. "Just...get back to work."

"Never thought I'd hear that from—"

" _Hidaka_."

"Right, bye."

\--

After a few hours, the lobby was more or less clean, and Saruhiko had a moment to sit in the lounge chairs and rest, followed by Misaki. Everyone else was working in other rooms, leaving them alone. Well, so it seemed. He wouldn't be surprised if his co-workers tried to eavesdrop.

"You lot are...a mess," Misaki said after a while, wiping sweat from his forehead. He'd long since shed the leather jacket, muscular arms now visible, and Saruhiko hated how distracting it was.

"You're one to talk, getting into fights," Saruhiko sighed out, meeting the other's gaze. When the strobe lights were turned off, he'd learned Misaki's eyes were a brilliant amber, shining, as he'd suspected.

"’Ch, I think you like it though." The redhead was smug, but Saruhiko saw through it. There was always an edge of anxiety in his voice. It wasn't necessarily unappealing.

"Whatever."

"You know..." Misaki began, wriggling in his seat until he was sitting on the edge, their knees bumping together. Even the small touch sent a jolt through him. "One of our older friends was thinkin’ of going into the hotel biz, but like...smaller. Bed and breakfast type of places! He just bought a land plot a few blocks down..."

"Oh?" Saruhiko smirked to himself. "Thinking of stealing our guests?"

"Huh? Yeah right! We'll have our own loyal people! But, I'm sure our food will be twenty times better..."

"Well I would hope, you are a bed and breakfast after all—"

"That's not my point though!" Misaki huffed to himself, nervous again, posture similar to when he'd been delivering those awful pick-up lines. "You should...come sometime, check in or whatever!"

Saruhiko tensed, but not because he was uncomfortable...which in itself was unfamiliar. His stomach did one of those annoying flips, and he hung his head a bit in surrender. _Huh...so that's it._

"Are you going to provide good service, hm?"

"Sh-shut up! Don't make it weird..."

Saruhiko laughed, a genuine laugh, and off in another room he could’ve sworn he heard a gasp. Irritating. It still didn't damper his mood however, which was another pleasant surprise. "You already made it weird with those dumb pick-up lines and motivational speeches."

Misaki simply smirked, rising from his seat when Chitose came out from a side room, beckoning him towards the exit. They both looked a bit disappointed, but Saruhiko knew he'd be seeing the other soon. "Well, yeah. But I’m glad I did."

They exchanged numbers.

After they left and the last of the cleaning crew was paid and escorted out, the members of the Scepter4 Hotel staff crashed for a good twelve hours.

\--

Munakata addressed them all from the front of the main employee meeting room on Monday, looking refreshed and rested from his trip. The deal had apparently gone through, allowing them to expand their company to a few other cities. Yippee.

It didn't show, but the staff was still exhausted from the weekend.

It had paid off though, and the hotel looked untouched, as clean as Munakata had left it. They were all dead inside, but at least they had picked everything up.

And Saruhiko supposed it wasn't all terrible, lips twitching upwards as he got a new text from Misaki.

"So once again, I thank you all for your cooperation and dedication to keeping this hotel in order while I was away. I am quite grateful. We will reopen for business Wednesday. Meeting adjourned." With one last smile, Munakata left them, walking briskly out of the meeting room.

Right before he left, he stopped, back to them as he tilted his head slightly. "Oh, and as a precaution, next time I would advise you all to buy a permit when you throw a party. We wouldn't want the police involved. Please get some rest!" And he was gone.

Saruhiko was going to quit for sure.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to EmeraldWaves for reading this omg you're the best <3  
> Thanks for reading and comments are always welcome ^^
> 
> Tumblr: its-love-u-asshole  
> Twitter: itsloveuasshole


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